Universal Developing Fourth ‘Riddick’ Movie

Vin Diesel has announced that Universal is interested in developing a fourth film in the cult-hit Riddick franchise.

The most recent movie in the series, simply titled “Riddick,” was released in September 2013 and grossed $98 million worldwide — nearly tripling its production budget of $38 million.

Diesel also revealed that “Riddick” is No. 1 in the DVD and Blu-ray charts, having been released recently. This success in theaters and on home video has prompted Universal to start thinking about the future of the deadly anti-hero.

The character of Richard B. Riddick, played by Diesel, was first introduced in the 2000 sci-fi flick “Pitch Black.” A sequel titled “The Chronicles of Riddick” was released in 2004 to mediocre reviews and box office performance, putting a halt to the franchise on the big screen for nine years.

The third installment, “Riddick,” reached theaters after being independently financed by Diesel and writer/director David Twohy.

Along with the movies, Riddick has appeared in “The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury” — an anime production that bridges the events of the first and second films — and two prequel video games, “The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay” and “The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena.”

It’s expected that a fourth movie will explore the Underverse, a dark and lawless parallel dimension that was established in “The Chronicles of Riddick” as the Necromonger army’s equivalent of the afterlife. This is supported by additional scenes in the extended edition of “Riddick.”

Diesel and Twohy have also stated their intention of returning Riddick to his desolate home world, Furya.